Page 159 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

A Portrait of a Christian Psychologist: Paul C. Vitz

Martijn Lindt (Netherlands) Answer by Paul Vitz
Question to Paul Vitz The question posed by Martijn Lindt is a good

“Hatred and Christian and very interesting one. He asks what is to be

Identity” done with a person’s anger and hatred and sug-
gests that it be redirected toward evil, possibly
even the evil that the hurtful person has caused.
Dear Paul, After all, anger and hatred are psychological
Of course I agree realities and presumably something must be
completely with your done with them. In addition, Jesus experienced
offering Christian anger and hatred of evil. In the spiritual realm
love as an alternati- of good and evil it is acceptable to maintain
ve for hatred. ‘…the what many psychologists call “splitting”. Evil is
love of Jesus is the all bad and we don’t pray for demons or the “evil
central fact enabling one.”
us to love another…. Thus, in simple form my answer is “yes”, Lindt
Our identity is for- is correct.
med through love.’ Martijn Lindt But, I do have some qualifications.
Beautiful. You posed (Netherlands), em. 1. Hatred of genuine evil is perfectly proper.
the psychological pro- associate professor at Injustice must be opposed. Harmful behavior
blem of lack of identi- University of Amster- must be strongly rejected. But, hatred of evil
ty, raised by rejecting dam, lecturer at Bo- must be kept from leaking back toward our
hatred of our enemies. nifatius Theological “enemy”, toward a person. However familiar
‘Compassion and hel- Institute and difficult, we are to hate the sin but not the
ping others...more sinner.
rewarding than pathetic self-pity.’ Yes. 2. One important point about loving our ene-
What about the possibility of redirecting the mies and praying for them is that the actual
anger and the hatred? Redirecting it back to its intensity of our anger and hatred is common-
proper object, back to the adequate functioning ly reduced though such love and prayers. This
of these passions, away from the person and to- means that we can manage our hatred better
ward the evil deed, the evil motive, the evil way? and avoid having it come back in a way, often in-
Might this not be a good addition? Should we direct or unconscious,
not look to Jesus also as a model of anger and that is again placed
hatred, notwithstanding the difference between on the person whose
Him and us? Take for example Jesus’ anger in behavior initiated our
Mk 3:35. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition hatred.
of the Philokalia there is a beautiful adage for In my article, I ignored
dealing with anger: Drawing two swords: that hatred of evil for “pre-
of love for the other person and that of hatred sent purposes” becau-
for evil. Two swords, which means redirecting se I wanted to focus
anger and also tempering it. on the major issue of
But that necessitates reincorporating anger and interpersonal hatred.
hatred of evil into your argument, which you Lindt, however, makes
removed at the beginning of your article. Why it clear that I probably Paul Vitz, Ph.D.
the removal? ‘For the present purpose,’ you say, should have included Professor and Seni-
you restricted hatred to the hatred of the other his concern about ha- or Scholar, Institute
person. Isn’t the present purpose served by this ting evil. If I have an for the Psychological
addition of redirected anger? ‘As a psychologist.’ opportunity to do so Sciences, Arlington,
Are not anger and hatred psychological data, in the future, I will Virginia; Professor
whatever their object, not just the interperso- include his valuable Emeritus, New York
nal? point. University.

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